It was in 2014 that the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) introduced the 'Safer Cars for India' initiative with the sole aim to promote safer vehicles to be sold in the country. Between 2014 and 2020, the Global NCAP crash tested over 38 India-made cars to assess their built quality and safety quotient. All these years, the safety watchdog has prompted car manufacturer to make safer cars in India, which meet global standards. The Indian automotive industry is slowly beginning to make safer cars. On that note, we list down the top 5 safest cars that you can purchase under Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom, India).
The Mahindra XUV300 subcompact SUV is the safest car in India with a full 5-star rating
The XUV300 subcompact SUV is one of the safest cars from Mahindra's stable currently available in the market today. The SUV was crash tested early last year, and it secured a full five-star rating for adult occupants and 4-stars for child occupants. It scored 16.42 points out of a possible 17 for adult occupant safety and 37.44 points out of a possible 49 points for child occupant safety. It comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines - 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre oil burner. The former is good for 110 bhp & 200 Nm whereas the latter makes 115 bhp & 300 Nm. transmission options include a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and an optional six-speed AMT unit.
Global NCAP Rating: 5-star
Prices: Rs. 7.96 lakh to Rs. 13.09 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The Tata Altroz became the second car from Tata Motors to receive a 5-star rating in GNCAP
The Tata Altroz is the second car from the Indian carmaker, after the Nexon, to get a 5-star safety rating in crash tests conducted by Global NCAP. The premium hatchback achieved a score of 16.13 out of 17 for adult occupant protection, and 29 out of 49 points for the child occupant, thus received just 3-stars for child occupant protection. The car is equipped with standard safety features such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminder, rear parking sensors and ISOFIX child seat mounts. It comes in three engine options - 1.2-litre Revotron petrol, 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre turbocharged Revotorq diesel. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual as standard.
Global NCAP Rating: 5-star
Prices: Rs. 5.69 lakh to Rs. 9.45 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The Tata Nexon was the first India-made car to score a 5-star rating at GNCAP
The Tata Nexon became the first India-made car to bag a five-star safety rating at the Global NCAP. The subcompact SUV was first crash-tested in August 2018, where it managed to score four stars at Global NCAP. In the second round of crash test, which happened in December 2018, the car went on to create history. It achieved 16.06 points out of a possible 17 for adult occupancy and 25 points out of 49 for child occupancy. All variants of the SUV come equipped with two airbags, ABS and ISOFIX child-seat mounts as standard. It is available in both petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron petrol makes 118 bhp & 170 Nm whereas the 1.5-litre turbocharged Revotorq diesel is good for 108 bhp & 260 Nm. Both the engines get a 6-speed manual with an optional 6-speed AMT.
Global NCAP Rating: 5-star
Prices: Rs. 7.09 lakh to Rs. 12.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Tata Motors has set a benchmark for passenger safety with its new-age cars
Tata Motors has emphasised on safety agenda with its new-age cars, despite being smaller cars. The Tiago hatchback and Tigor subcompact sedan were awarded a 4-star safety rating at the Global NCAP. It is safe to say that the Nexon subcompact SUV has paved the way for other Tata cars to set new benchmarks in the Indian car market, as far as safety is concerned. Both the cars secured 12.72 points out of 17 for adult protection and 34.15 points out of 49 for child protection. Both the cars are powered by a 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine, which belts out 85 bhp and 113 Nm of power figures.
Global NCAP Rating: Tata Tiago & Tigor - 4-stars
Prices: Tiago - Rs. 4.85 lakh to Rs. 6.84 lakh / Tigor - Rs. 5.49 lakh to Rs. 7.63 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi)
The Volkswagen Polo is one of the safest cars in its segment
Volkswagen's premium hatchback, Polo, was crashed tested in 2014, and the car was awarded a 4-star rating at the Global NCAP. It received 12.54 points out of a possible 17 for adult passenger safety. For child passenger safety, it scored just two stars with just 29.91 points out of 49. Do note, the model crash-tested lacked some of the safety features such as ABS, seat-belt reminder, child ISOFIX mounts, that are now available on the current model. The car now comes loaded with standard safety features like dual front airbags, ABS, and front disc brakes. It is available with 1.0-litre TSI petrol and 1.0-litre MPI powertrain options with a choice of 5-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic.
Global NCAP Rating: 4-star
Prices: Rs. 6.16 lakh to Rs. 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom)
